BASEBALL HELD HOSTAGE -- DAY 146: THE REPLACEMENTS

Labor Secretary Robert Reich has scheduled meetings with
both sides in baseball's labor dispute. Today, Reich meets with
MLBPA Exec Dir Donald Fehr; next week, he will meet with Rockies
Owner Jerry McMorris, acting MLB Commissioner Bud Selig and Red
Sox CEO John Harrington (Tracy Ringolsby, ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS,
1/4). Meanwhile, the 104th Congress gets under way today. Two
lawmakers, one in the Senate and one in the House, will introduce
legislation to repeal some form of MLB's antitrust exemption.
The Senate bill, sponsored by Sen. Pat Moynihan (D-NY), could be
debated within the next two months. Moynihan's bill states that,
except for negotiating national broadcasting rights, the
antitrust laws "shall apply to the business of organized
professional baseball" (Larry Whiteside, BOSTON GLOBE, 1/4).
REPLACEMENTS: Many GMs and owners around the league said
that preparations to field replacement teams have begun. Blue
Jays GM Gord Ash notes that even though the team cannot field a
replacement team in Toronto, that does not mean they will not
field a spring training team in FL. Ash: "We can't afford to
wait until March 1 and say all of a sudden we've got to play a
[exhibition] game on March 3 and we've got no one to play it"
(Larry Millson, Toronto GLOBE & MAIL, 1/4). Blue Jays President
Paul Beeston notes that the team will not break Ontario laws or
move to another city to use replacement players: "We're the
Toronto Blue Jays, not the Buffalo Blue Jays or Vancouver Blue
Jays. It's not our intention to break the rules of the province
of Ontario" (TORONTO SUN, 1/4). Braves President Stan Kasten
said the Braves have plunged "full force" into developing plans
to field a replacement team (I.J. Rosenberg, ATLANTA
CONSTITUTION, 1/4). Cubs President Andy MacPhail: "We have to
start looking at this point. What practical alternative do we
have now?" (WASHINGTON POST, 1/4). Harrington will speak today
by telephone with MLB's 10-man operations committee about having
a season without the striking players. Harrington hinted that
instead of replacements for spring training, the teams could ask
minor leaguers to report earlier and work with major league
coaches: "That isn't to say we would use minor leaguers as
replacements. The notion is that we would spend more time
developing those younger kids" (Murray Chass, N.Y. TIMES, 1/4).
UNION'S WORLD TOUR '95: Fehr is scheduled to hold player
meetings in seven cities (Chicago; Tampa; San Juan, PR; Phoenix;
Los Angeles; Dallas; and Caracas, Venezuela) over the next two
weeks in order to update players on the situation. The union
staff will meet with agents in Chicago on Saturday, in New York
next Tuesday and Los Angeles on January 12 (Tracy Ringolsby,
ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, 1/4).